A support group and a lab in the St. Louis area provide resources for people with the allergy to mammal products — and evidence that its effects can be reversed.
Katie Chalifoux takes pies from the oven at Stockholm Pie & General Store in Stockholm, Wisconsin. The acclaimed pie shop is in a building more than 100 years old that combines a marketplace, cafe and bakery. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
We at the Desk love to travel during the summer. The past few weeks have given us a chance to visit the Alps and the Adriatic, the Great Lakes and the UK on vacation.
Summer is also a great time for reporters to travel farther afield, to do stories that don’t necessarily have a “news hook” but tell us something essential about the basin.
A few weeks ago, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Madeline Heim visited the Great River Road, the winding network that snakes 3,000 miles along the banks of the Mississippi River. It’s a popular day trip for folks throughout the basin.
I asked her why she wanted to do a story about it. Here’s what she said:
I drive a lot on the Great River Road, for work and for fun, and I often wondered: What's the secret that makes these small communities thrive? The answer, of course, is different for each one, and many of them are still working through challenges that often hit rural places. But one strength that remains the same is the river itself — it brings people to visit and makes them want to stay.
Mike Adank, left, helps a customer buying souvenirs at The Corner Store in Fountain City, Wisconsin, on Thursday, May 28, 2026. Adank, who grew up in the Mississippi River town, purchased and restored the 1920s soda fountain after years of living in New York City. (Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
You can read Madeline’s piece on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website (available without a subscription). She stopped in several towns in Minnesota and Wisconsin and found that many of these communities are thriving in a post-industrial economy. The reasons vary. Some have remade themselves as tourist havens. Others are leaning into their small-town feel to attract people thirsty for community.
It is a great read, complemented by beautiful photos by the Journal Sentinel’s Mark Hoffman. Whether you’re on the road yourself this summer or kicking back at home, set aside a few minutes to enjoy her story.
You’ll come away with a better understanding of what makes basin communities so wonderful — as well as a tip on where to find a great sour cream raisin pie.
